AlHijjah 15, 1436, September 29, 2015, SPA -- President Xi Jinping of China on Monday pledged support for a permanent U.N. police unit and African peacekeeping as he promised a peaceful rise for the Asian power. Xi said China, which increasingly has joined multinational defense efforts, would "take the lead" in establishing an 8,000-soldier "permanent peacekeeping police squad" that could be deployed rapidly. The Chinese leader also announced $100 million in funding to the African Union to support a similar rapid-reaction force, as well as a broader 10-year $1 billion U.N.-China "peace and development fund." Responding to Western charges that China's interest in poor countries is purely commercial, Xi said China was "committed to peaceful development."
